Electric street-indicating sign.



J. W. ELLIS. ELECTRIC STREET INDIGATING SIGN. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.'1, 1909.

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JAMES W. ELLIS, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ELECTRIC STREET-INDICATING SIGN.

T 0 all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, JAMES W. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at the city and county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Electric Street-IndicatingSign, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric signs, and particularlyto street indicating signs; and the objects of my invention are: first,to provide an illuminated street indicating sign; second, to provide astreet corner name indicating illuminated sign that also forms a gooddaylight street indicating sign, and, third, to provide a streetindicating sign that is adapted to dis play two angularly arrangedilluminated street names or letters or symbols, at the corners ofintersecting streets. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of the improved sign. Fig. 2, is ahorizontal sectional view thereof. And Fig. 3, is a vertical,longitudinal sectional view through one of the wings of the sign,showing particularly the manner of securing the lamp.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1, designates a right angleshaped hollow box or casing, the wings 9. and 3 of which are arrangedrelatively to each other to stand at angles parallel to the intersectingstreets at the corners of which they are placed, and as streetsintersect each other at various angles, it is essential that the wingsof the sign be made especially to coincide with the intersecting angleof the streets on which they are placed. The casing 1, may be made ofany suitable material, but is preferably made of metal, such asgalvanized iron. This casing is formed with a back 5, a top 6, and abottom 7 The front side of each angular portion of the casing ispreferably formed of a glass plate 4, or some other transparentmaterial, but may be made of other material, such as sheet metal, inwhich case the sign is formed by cutting openings in the said metal, ofthe outline of the desired letters or figures, through which the lightwithin shows and displays the sign letters or the sign design or figurein illuminated lines. These front plates 4 are secured in slideways Sand 9, which are formed by bending the upper and lower front edgesSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 7, 1909.

Patented Nov. 29, 1910.

Serial No. 516,474.

of each arm of the casing to form flanges 10, adjacent to which angleplates 11 are secured, the said plates being slid between the flanges 10and the angle plates 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These side framesmay be made wide enough to form a display frame around the glass orother transparent letter or design displaying material, that will followthe outline of the letter and thus form a display letter that can beplainly seen in the day time, and that forms at night an illuminatedsign. The slideways 8 and 9 intersect each other at the vertex of theirangles, at which points entrances 13 are provided, which permits theglass fronts to be inserted in the slideways one at a time withoutinterfering with each other.

At the apex of the casing, I place an electric lamp 14, and I use onlythis one lamp in the sign. This lamp is connected to a lamp holdingsocket 15, that is preferably secured to the top end of the box in sucha manner that the lamp depends from the socket. The body of this socketrests on the top of the casing, and its threaded socket shell 16projects through an aperture in the top of the casing to receive it. Acap 17 is screwed upon the shell 16 and clamps the socket to the top ofthe casing. Non-conducting washers are placed between the sockets andcasing, and also between the cap and easing, as shown in Fig. 3. Inorder to protect the socket from the elements, I place a housing 18 overit, and secure it to the top of the casing in any suitablemanner, suchas by screws or by soldering. Apertures 19 are formed in the sides ofthis housing to permit circuit wires to be connected to the lamp socket.

As only one electric lamp is used, the form of the box should be such asto diffuse the light of this one lamp so that the letters or other signmatter on the front face of the box adjacent to its opposite endportions will reflect the light of the lamp tosatisfactorily illuminatethese letters. I preferably carry out this feature of my invention inthe following manner: From the apex portion of the sign casing back ofthe lamp, I extend reflecting plates 20, of any suitable material, inopposite directions to the opposite ends of the wings of the saidcasing, at a converging angle that will bring the outer end of thereflecting plates close to the sign plate 1, which brings the wholelength of the reflectors in the path of the light of the lamp, andpermits the light reflecting plates to illuminate the letters of thesign that are farthest from the lamp substantially as brightly as thosenearest to the lamp. These reflecting plates may form the back of thebox, and their inner surfaces may be provided with any suitable lightreflecting material. Or separate reflecting plates may be placed withinthe box and be secured in an angular position in it that will reflectthe light of the lamp outward against the sign letter plates. Ipreferably illustrate the sign casing provided with removable reflectingplates, and my invention contemplates the employment of any kind of areflecting plate desired.

The improved sign is adapted to be secured to the corners of buildingsand to posts in any suitable manner, but preferably by strap clips 21,which are secured to its rear side at one of their ends and extend beyond the box and are arranged to be secured by nails or bolts to thebuilding, or to posts erected at the corners of the streets to receivethem, or to telegraph or telephone poles.

My invention is simple and provides a practical illuminated street signfor the night time, and a good readable clear sign for the day time.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. An illuminated street corner sign, comprising a box, consisting oftwo wing portions extending from an apex portion, a removable letterdisplay plate arranged on each of the wing portions of said box, a lampwithin said box at its apex, and light deflecting surfaces in each wingportion of said box arranged to deflect the light of said lamp toilluminate the said sign letters.

2. An electric street sign, comprising a box provided with two wingedletter displayin sides provided with display plates adapted to displaythe name of intersecting streets in the day time, and to displayilluminated names of streets in the night time, a lamp in said box atthe intersection of said wing portions, and a deflecting plate in eachwing portion diverging from the apex portion of said box toward saiddisplay plates, and adapted to deflect the light of said lamps along thewhole length of said display plates.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES ELLIS. lVitnesses G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADELLA W. FowLE.

